Creekstone Farm is
a producer in Kansas of hormone-free, antibiotic-free natural and
premium Blank Angus beef. Its profit took a plunge when a ban was
stated on the beef exports to Japan and Korea due to BSE. Since
then, and with the ban partially lifted, Creekstone Farm claims that
the USDA is interfering with their actions in trying to provide safe
beef for its consumers. The USDA is being sued by Creekstone Farms
for not allowing them to buy BSE testing kits.

The USDA's position
is that BSE's incubation period is from two to eight years and that
it is rare for cows younger than 30 months to show any signs of the
disease. Most cattle going to slaughter in the United States are
younger than 24 months, so BSE testing wouldn't be likely to
discover it, even in infected cattle. Instead of offering security,
testing, the USDA contended, is more likely to "produce false
negative results" than reassure consumers.

The conditions under
which animals are raised are appalling and harbor the spread of
diseases that may be passed on to humans. Testing for BSE and other
diseases might not be enough to protect the consumer and could prove
very costly. On the other hand, avoiding meat products seems to be
an effective way to avoid these kind of diseases and prevent many
others (cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, etc.) while alleviating
animal suffering.